The "cat distribution system" works in mysterious ways. The system refers to the phenomenon that cats seemingly "choose" their owners by appearing in people's lives at the right time, as if by some preordained fate. You'll find social media, which already favors cat-related content, awash with stories of folks who were magically bestowed with a feline friend…especially during kitten season, when there's an abundance of teeny tiny fur babies searching for a home.That’s exactly what happened to Robert Brantley of Louisiana, except in his case, he got far more than he bargained for. This is a story of the cat distribution system on steroids.Brantley was on his way to work and spotted a tiny white and gray kitten trying to get across the street. Like any kind human might, he stopped his car to bring the kitten to safety. In fact, he writes in an Instagram post, his wife had been wanting a cat for their farm so he figured he might as well rescue the little guy and bring him home.But things got complicated as he was scooping up the little thing, when several more kitty cat siblings came running out of the nearby grass. Brantley writes that he was "ambushed by the mob." Most adorable mob ever. See on Instagram In all, Brantley counted 13 kittens. He had only planned on adopting one of them, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to leave the others behind.His kindness was much needed, too, considering humane societies and shelters are even more over-capacity in need of support from foster families during litter seasons, which starts in early spring and lasts throughout the summer.In a follow-up video, Brantley's wife donned the cleaned up kitties in their Sunday best to have a photoshoot in her makeshift studio, in hopes that a purrfectly adorable picture would entice potential owners. One kitten could even be seen sporting a bow tie while the others climbed around the enclosure patiently awaiting their turn. Who could resist? See on Instagram Since making his epic rescue, it looks like all the cats have been rescued, minus one, which they've named Scout. But Brantley is still very much a "kitten wrangler" according to his Instagram. - YouTube www.youtube.com May more people take Brantley’s lead to foster the kittens or puppies they find if they have the means. Although, with kittens under 8 weeks old, it is advised to actually leave them be, if found outdoors, as it's likely their mother (who is their best caregiver) is nearby. In these circumstances, it's best to wait several hours, or even a full day, to see if the mother returns. She could only be temporarily gone while searching for food, or even waiting for the humans to leave. One helpful tip from Alleycat.org: sprinkle flour near the kittens’ nest. If the mother cat returns, she will leave paw prints.Of course, there are times when newborn kittens will in fact need to be taken in and looked after, during which they'll need "round-the-clock care to survive," according to Alleycat.org. If you find yourself in this situation, contact your local shelter to see if they participate in a Wait Until 8 program, which provides tools and instructions, like kitten care kits, to ensure a kitten’s caregiver has everything they need.The cat distribution system might seems magical (and it is!), but it still requires real effort from us humans.This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.

Heartbreakingly, there are hundreds of thousands of kids in the United States in foster care, and a severe shortage of capable families willing to permanently adopt them. The situation might even seem hopeless for young kids as they start to get older and become less "desirable" to adopt. But it's never too late to find your family. That's the heartwarming message being shared by Leah Paskalides and the daughter she adopted in 2021, then-19-year-old, Monyay.But this is no ordinary adoption story.At the age of 11, Monyay was placed into a foster care group home. The pain of having to go through life without a family was always difficult, but it hit hard in her senior year of school. "My senior year is when I went through one of those, 'I don't want to do it anymore, I'm done,'" she told ABC News.Monyay finished school a year early and used the extra time to volunteer with foster children like her. But she faced a tough road ahead, as she was about to turn 18 and officially age out of the system.Children who age out of foster care face multiple challengesAccording to the Children's Home Society of Minnesota, the 23,000 children who age out of foster care every year without families face many challenges. There are very few support systems in place for these now-adults. Without the watchful eye and help of their foster family and case workers, only 3% earn a college degree, half will develop a substance abuse problem, 60% of boys are convicted of crimes, and 70% of girls become pregnant before the age of 21. - YouTube www.youtube.com After Monyay turned 18, it looked like she would have to enter the real world as an adult without any support. But then her caseworker and mentor from the Safe Children Coalition stepped up.Leah had always wanted to adopt Monyay, but it was a conflict of interest with her work. "She always said, 'I wish you could adopt me, wish you could adopt me,' and I couldn't because of the job and then I was watching a documentary where the person had been adopted as an adult, and I had never really heard of it," Leah said.After seeing a documentary about a man who was adopted as an adult, Leah decided that she wanted to adopt Monyay. “I told her that I saw it and asked if it was something she would want, and she said yes,” Paskalides recalled, according to Foster the Love. “I wanted to make sure she knew that she had somebody who loved her and who would have done this years ago and still would as an adult.”It was important for Monyay to have a real family"It was important to me that she knew that she was wanted by somebody, that somebody loved her," Leah told Fox 13. "I could say that as many times as I want, but actions speak louder than words." On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, a judge signed the paperwork making the adoption official."Being told 'no' so many times, to hear that 'yes' and to hear them pronounce her as my mom, it's something that's like, oh my gosh, this is for real," Monyay told Fox 13.As part of the adoption proceedings, the question lingered: which last name would Monyay like? When the 18-year-old announced it would be "Paskiledes," both mom and new daughter began sobbing."I would have adopted her six years ago, it was held back emotions that just came out," Leah told People. The pair's story captured hearts all over the world when news and other media began sharing their tale. - YouTube www.youtube.com "A family is made of love. Love knows NO color or age. Congratulations," a YouTube commenter wrote."This will bring so much healing to the young lady. There's something about being wanted and knowing that someone wants you and loves you exactly as you are. That's what our parents are supposed to give us before we learn to give it to ourselves," added another.The funny thing is the two didn't hit it off at first. Years ago, when Leah was first assigned her case, Monyay didn't like her. "She told me what she was going to be doing and helping me out with my case, and I didn't like her; she'll tell you that," said Monyay. But over the past nine years, the two forged an unbreakable bond. “I met her, and I saw a lot of myself in her,” Paskalides said. “Once she trusted me, we just clicked.”"She was very motivated and had aspirations for a future, and so I knew she just needed support," Leah said. "She was always a kid that did not deserve to go through life without a support system of a family."This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

Does the number 23.5 mean anything to you? It sounds random, but it's a relatively famous number that refers to the degree Earth tilts on its axis as it rotates around the sun. The fact that the Earth is not standing "straight up," so to speak, is responsible for a number of fascinating phenomenon in how we experience the sun's light and warmth.When our respective portions of the Earth are tilted toward the sun, we receive more heat and longer daylight hours. But some areas of the globe are situated in such a way that Earth's tilt can cause much more dramatic swings. The Arctic, famously, has a "Midnight Sun" where the sun does not fully set for around two months in the summer. The effect can also be experienced to a lesser degree in lower portions of the Northern hemisphere, including Alaska.One woman recently documented her experience living through North Pole, Alaska's "darkest day of the year," which falls on December 21.The Winter Solstice has the Northern hemisphere away from the sun, so North Pole, Alaska (not the true North Pole, as in, where Santa Claus lives) receives only a small window of sunlight. Though it's not the true North Pole, North Pole, Alaska has fun with the whole Santa thing.By Dylan Avery/Wikimedia CommonsEmily, who goes by FBX Foodie on TikTok, shared a video on December 21, 2025 where she begins by standing outside in the pitch black.. at 7:30am, or about the time the sun should be risen or well on its way in much of the rest of the world.The self-described "Florida Girl", who recently moved to Alaska with her husband who is stationed there on military duty, has been sharing her journey in acclimating to a very different climate. And that's putting it mildly. The couple is currently a year into a 4-year assignment.Not only is the sky pitch black, the temperatures are frigid. In the morning, when she began filming, the temperature was around -40 degrees Fahrenheit. By 8:40, nothing has changed. Everything is still dark and extremely cold.About an hour later, a crack of light is just barely visible. "This is kind of what I call blue hour," she says. "It's not pitch black outside but it's not necessarily daylight either. We still have about an hour and a half until sunrise."By 10:36, the sun is creeping over the horizon, like the early dawn hours anywhere else. Just a few short hours later at 1:25pm, the sun is visible in the sky! But just as soon as it appears, hovering low and orange like a sunset, it's already on its way down. Shortly before 5pm, the day is "over" and pitch black returns. @fbxfoodie Happy Winter Solstice! Glad we will be slowly but surely gaining more daylight ❤️ #fairbanks #northpole #alaska #alaskalife #lifeinalaska Though many people have heard of Alaska's strange solstices, over 5 million viewers were stunned to see just how short the day really was in North Pole, Alaska."i would be so depressed" one commenter wrote."I would have absolutely zero motivation" added another."Why are you outside?" someone asked, justly."I just wouldn’t get out of bed. A heated blanket would hate to see me coming" one person joked.Other viewers noted that the conditions seemed prime for sleep and relaxation. If you're someone who needs complete darkness for a good night's sleep, you'd love it in North Pole, Alaska.In a series of follow-up videos, Emily answered some of the many, many questions she got after her video went massively viral. @fbxfoodie Replying to @Silklight24 answering a few common questions from my last videos, like why do I live here, how do I get around, how warm it gets, etc.! #alaskalife #fairbanks #northpole #alaska #lifeinalaska "Why would anyone want to live there?" - Emily says that, though she doesn't exactly live there by choice herself, a lot of people who don't mind the cold really love Alaska's wide open spaces and small communities, along with virtually no traffic and a much slower way of life. You have to put up with some wonky winters and maybe a little too much sunlight in the summer, but for many, it's well worth it. There's also a lot of natural beauty, with Alaska being one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights and home to some of the best hiking and adventuring around."How do you keep your house warm?" - Emily shares that her house has a normal thermostat like you'd find anywhere else, but that her home is heated with oil instead of natural gas. "It's about $3.75 to $4 a gallon and we're burning through about six gallons a day in this really extreme temperature.""Does society function normally in the dark?" - The short answer? Yes. "We don't work around the sun, which would be pretty limiting in the winter." Emily says most businesses and schools are still open even in the extreme cold and snow. She says school didn't even close when her town got over 10 inches of snow overnight.It's really hard for people in the "lower 48" to imagine what daily life must be like during the winter with extremely limited daylight hours. People who live in Alaska, of course, have found ways to adapt to the extreme conditions.Some parts of Alaska are in near-compete darkness for about two months in the winter, while the sun rarely and barely sets during the summer.For starters, buildings and cities are designed to fit the extreme conditions. Insulation is a top-priority so residents can survive -40 degree temperatures, and pipes are buried and insulated as much as possible to keep from freezing. Air conditioners, strangely, are key, too: Even though Alaskan summers don't get that hot, the heavily-insulated buildings and the low angle of the sun can heat up indoor environments in a hurry.Blackout curtains are a must in the summer for sleeping, but otherwise, Alaskan-based climatologist Dr. Brian Brettschneider tells Fox Weather that residents absolutely love the constant sunlight. "Imagine going fishing at midnight, or playing basketball at 11 p.m., or a hiking traverse through the middle of the night? The only complaints you'll hear are about it not lasting long enough."The winter is more challenging. Vitamin D supplements and sun lamps help some residents keep their spirits and energy up in the darkness, but Alaskans report that winter is often a time for slower living and "hibernation." Living in northern Alaska might not be everyone's cup of tea, but whether you're born there, stationed there, or decide to move there by choice, there's a lot of adventure and beauty to be found in the frigid environment.

If someone asked you to predict the broad strokes of life 27 years into the future, what would your batting average be? That was the task back in 1998, when USA Today/Gallup asked Americans to envision what we would (and wouldn’t) have accomplished by 2025. As CNN notes, citing archived polling maintained by Cornell University’s Roper Center, it’s fascinating to explore what people got right and wrong. The categories run the full gamut, from scientific developments (a cure for cancer) to everyday activities (online shopping) to existential topics (like the existence of alien life). - YouTube www.youtube.com How did people picture life in 2025? So what did people get right about 2025? For one, they were mostly appropriately cautious with the more grandiose categories: 69 percent of respondents correctly guessed that space travel would not be normal for "ordinary Americans," and 60 percent answered that the cloning of humans would not be "commonplace." (That said, even the inverse is fascinating: 37 percent thought that the latter would be common.) Meanwhile, 68 percent predicted that humans wouldn’t have "made or received contact with alien-life forms." Looking at more terrestrial matters, 74 percent of people predicted that gay marriages would be commonplace; 69 percent said that the U.S. would have elected a Black president; and 75 percent thought a "deadly new disease" would emerge.It’s also intriguing to note what people got wrong—even when people were thinking in the right direction. While 56 percent thought most stores would be "replaced" by Internet shopping, Sellers Commerce projected that only 21 percent of retail purchases in 2025 would take place online. (They expected that number to reach 22.6 percent by 2027.) In another glimpse into online life, 52 percent of respondents thought most people would work remotely. (That figure is still currently a bit ambitious, at least for Americans.) Elsewhere, 66 percent predicted the country would have elected a woman president, and 59 percent thought cancer would be cured. - YouTube www.youtube.com "We were so hopeful" After CNN’s report made the rounds online, lots of people chimed in to reflect on these predictions—often marveling at the general optimism they seemed to reflect. Here are some notable comments from the r/Xennials and r/Charts subreddits: "Really interesting. The social ones we largely met, but but a lot of the scientific ones.""It’s amazing how much less we thought about the tech things (internet shopping, WFH) than things that like curing cancer or commonplace assisted suicide.""We were so hopeful. Things were just going to get better, right?""We were supposed to have flying cars by now""We were so optimistic back then.""They actually got a surprisingly high percentage of these right. Futurology is notoriously difficult to do well."It’s always interesting to examine people’s predictions for the future, even when those people aren't adults. Back in 2020, the BBC shared a video compilation of kids in 1966 guessing what the year 2000 might look like. While some of the visions were fairly dark, others touched on lighter, breezier topics like robots and, yes, cabbage pills. - YouTube www.youtube.com

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The 2000s Disney Channel star is now going by a new name.

The 2000s Disney Channel star is now going by a new name.

The 2000s Disney Channel star is now going by a new name.

Gordon Ramsay is known almost as much for his fiery temper as for his cooking. His speech at his daughter's wedding caused controversy, but she's on his side.